#technical document proofreading

4 Signs Your Manual Needs Good Technical Proofreading Services

Image credit: Adobe Stock

One of the main problems with creating a manual is not knowing how much in-depth or detailed should your statements and instructions be. This is something that affects every type of manual you may be thinking of writing, but with good technical proofreading services, you can forget about it. By having technical proofreading to check your manual, you are immediately making sure the most common mechanical mistakes and less common but equally disastrous errors are avoided within your manual. Simply, a scientific editing services is what you need to write a perfect manual. But, can you fix these mistakes by yourself? Let’s find out…

4 Typical Mistakes in Manual Technical Writing

If you want to write a perfect manual, it is important to get acquaintance with the many mistakes most people tend to make while writing. Take a look at some of these mistakes plus the solution for each:

Lack of organization: Not being organized is a critical mistake for manuals. When proofreading technical documents, one of the main things to take into account is the order. The better the organization within the manual, the easier to understand it will be.

Forgetting about readers: If you want to make an impact or make people follow what you have to say – make sure you address your readers correctly. One of the main points on technical writing proofreading is knowing who the readers are. This way you can address your manual perfectly depending on who’s going to read it.

Wrongly used words: You may be thinking of using a word that looks perfect for your manual, a word that has an exact meaning to what you want to say and sounds as an important one. Yet, this word is not known by most people and can cause some confusion. Should you use it? Of course not. Avoid big words that sound difficult, especially if they are not commonly known.

Ridiculously long sentences: When writing a manual, you need to remember that it is of utmost importance to make the reader understand what you want to say. Do not write sentences more than 20-25 words long, as they can be utterly difficult to understand. Stick to simple and concise writing instead.

How to Proofread Technical Documents

Do you want to make your manual or whatever technical document you want to write be perfect easily and quick? Read and follow these tips for a professional technical document proofreading today:

Plan your proofreading

First off, it is important you take your time to proofread and make a list of what you have to do exactly. Make sure you are as detailed for yourself as writing the manual and you have everything you want to proofread listed. Use different useful tools online such as words to pages converter.

Ivan Walsh, a professional proofreading & editor adds:

“Create a checklist of items you plan to review. These include the usual areas, such as spelling but also exceptions and known issues that tend to crop up.”

Proofread with patience

Learning to proofread technical documents demands patience. Proofreading is a long task that can take a lot of time, especially if you do it correctly. So, be patient, take your time proofreading every aspect of the document and avoid making mistakes for rushing up.

Ivan Walsh recommends to:

“Check one area at a time, for instance, check the spelling, format, meaning, or structure individually. Don’t try to do all at once.”

Check for references

Sometimes, within a manual, there can be references to other types of manuals, instructions, manuscripts or even cross-references within the same manual. Make sure all of them are correctly used, not only working but redirecting to the adequate direction.

Ivan Walsh says:

“It’s easy to miss this especially if you test the link – and it works – but don’t check if it links to the correct text.”

Make sure everything is in place

From the appendix to the variables, make sure everything is exactly where it should be. You shouldn’t have to wait for troubleshooting to tell you that there’s something wrong in the document. Check everything correctly, do maintenance before it even needs maintenance.

Everything should be honest and true

One of the most disastrous mistakes a manual writer could make is writing in a dishonest or equivocal way within a manual. This is disastrous, both for the reader and the writer itself. It can cause, depending on the final destiny of the manual, horrendous accidents. Write according to what is the truth and with a technical background so you can avoid dishonest statements.

Have a good structure

Manuals should always be concise, no matter the type of manual it is. Stick to writing short sentences, short paragraphs, and direct statements with call to action. Also, make sure you do this by maintaining a structure, do not write disorganized and always try to make it easier for readers to understand whatever you have to say.

Be consistent

If you began your manual using hyphens to separate phrases and short sentences, stick to them. Do not start using commas and broadening your sentences meaning and then look inconsistent in front of the readers. Try to maintain a concise, easy-to-understand, and well-structured manual throughout.

Do Perfect Technical Proofreading At all Times

Whatever your purpose is with your technical writing, you need to always make sure that it is properly proofread according to your needs. Just remember that the best way to proofread is by knowing first who your audience is and how you should approach the writing accordingly. Then, just stick to being concise, well-structured and portraying everything in the easiest way possible.

Something most people tend to do is using words to page converter. It may sound a little off but it can be a great way to proofread technical documents. Even if you need Scientific Editing Services, you may find it incredibly helpful.

But we know it can really annoying and exhausting to do it by yourself, so why not hire technical proofreading services that will make your manual or technical writing look professional? Hire our Technical Editing Service today and avoid common technical writing mistakes NOW!